


Regroup

by Rin_the_Shadow



Series: To Turn Spark [13]
Category: Transformers (Unicron Trilogy), Transformers: Armada
Genre: AU to Transformers: Armada, Aftermath of Loss, Allusions to PTSD, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Optimus is a good leader, discussion of events in fumble, everyone tries to cope, in a very tight situation, meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-05 00:13:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17314445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rin_the_Shadow/pseuds/Rin_the_Shadow
Summary: Still reeling from the loss of the Star Saber and the Skyboom Shield, the Autobots attempt to collect themselves and figure out how to proceed.





	1. Chapter 1

“And you think it might be related to that energy surge you felt on Mars?” Optimus spoke in hushed tones as he tried to make sense of what Jetfire had told him. The doors were sealed, but even then, no soundproofing was perfect. With everyone already on edge and their loss not even a day old, he didn’t need to give them any more reason to worry.

“I’m sure of it,” Jetfire insisted. “It wasn’t just a surge. It was like a huge magnetic force pulling them together—like they were trying to combine. And since we got away before it was complete—”

Of course. It was too simple for the Decepticons merely to want possession of all three. “Megatron wants to finish what he started that day.”

Perhaps he shouldn’t have had Jetfire and Starscream keep quiet about it before. They might have been able to investigate further, especially since Scavenger and Red Alert would have been able to research openly instead of sneaking around, and that was without considering what any of the others might have been able to contribute—But this was no time to stand around lamenting what he could have done. They needed to focus on what they could do now.

“I’ll see if Scavenger heard anything about a plan for the Mini-Con weapons while he was undercover. If he has, then we’ll use that as a starting point.” Whether for a plan to recover them or to counter them, he could not say just yet. “If not, then it was likely a recent plan. We’ll begin collecting data and work from there.”

“Right, right…” Jetfire trailed, looking off.

Optimus recognized that look. “Is something concerning you, Jetfire?” Of course there was something. What it was over, on the other hand…

“With all respect, Scavenger returned to the Autobots quite some time ago. Before I even got here, in fact. Anything he knows has the chance of being months out of date at least.”

That was a valid point, Optimus had to admit. “Unfortunately, this is the best option we have at the moment.”

“No, it’s not,” Jetfire replied. “We’ve had at least two others come to us since then. The Mini-Cons we freed from the lunar base? Not the best option, I’ll give you that. They were pretty low in the chain of command, and I can’t imagine Megatron giving them too much insight into whatever he was planning. Now, Starscream, on the other hand…”

Optimus held up a hand to stop him. “Starscream told us what he knew when he first defected.”

“No,” Jetfire returned. “He told us what he thought was relevant. For him? That’s a pretty big difference. Not to mention, he encountered Thrust at least twice before the theft. Arrogant slagger like him wouldn’t have been able to resist bragging about it.” Thrust would definitely have said _something_ , even veiled.

There were all kinds of problems with this plan. Even if Thrust _had_ said something to key him in to his plans, Optimus had seen Starscream’s state when Jetfire brought him back to the base. The second-in-command had even reported as much just minutes ago.

“I’m not saying drag him out and grill him for information,” he continued. “I’m just saying maybe one of us should think about asking him sometime. Just to see if there’s anything he wants to throw out there.”

Well, he supposed it couldn’t hurt to try. “I’ll talk to him,” the leader spoke. “Now, then, before we end this meeting, was there anything else to report?”

“Nothing off the top of my head. Though if I think of something, I’ll let you know.”

“All right, then.” Optimus turned and released the lock on the door. “Dismissed, soldier. And try to get some rest.” _We don’t know when the next battle will be, and I know you’ll need it before then_.

“Heh, we’ll see if I have any luck there.”

* * *

 

Although the Autobot leader agreed with his second’s suggestion, (and should probably have considered it himself, now that he thought about it) he still found himself winding through the base, searching for his old mentor. His information may have been out of date, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have learned something related to the combiner teams, either before or after his defection.

And of course, he could also ask for insight in how to approach the _other_ meeting he would be having that day.

Scavenger had found him on the way, and they opted to go to the warp chamber to discuss things, as no one would be using it at the moment. Communications would have been better, but there was a chance Red Alert would be there, trying to sort out a starting point for a counter-plan. He didn’t want to ask him to relocate when there were easier accommodations for all of them.

He started by asking how everyone was handling. He knew what he had seen before Jetfire’s report, but there was always a chance things had changed since then. And so Scavenger told him.

Hot Shot had disappeared into the training room shortly after returning, and had not yet come out. Sideswipe had followed him, but as far as anyone knew, he hadn’t entered into the main section. Jetfire had gone to see if they were all right.

Hoist had gone to look for Red Alert, to see if there was anything he could do. He was understandably still rattled about the loss of Downshift and the others, and wanted to stage a rescue mission as soon as possible. Scavenger could not in good conscience say he knew if Red Alert would be able to give him anything to do in his state. “Still, he’ll be able to work him down from it, at least,” he said.

Blurr was not taking things well, to put it mildly. He had tried to go for a drive to focus himself, but had returned not twenty minutes later complaining that he couldn’t stop looking over his shoulder expecting ‘Cons to appear. He’d found some base repair to work on, but Scavenger wasn’t sure how long that would last.

As for the kids, he hadn’t seen Fred or Billy since the incident, but he was more willing to assume they were hiding out than that they had left for their homes. Alexis had been…upset, to say the least, and Rad and Carlos had tried desperately to calm her even though they were clearly shaken as well. Something had happened since then that had helped, though he wasn’t sure just what.

The old veteran hadn’t seen Starscream since he’d returned with Jetfire. “It’s probably for the best. Kid still seems a bit shaky around me,” he said. “But it doesn’t make it any less worrisome.”

“Hmm…” While he hoped Scavenger was right, Jetfire’s report certainly made it sound like some wounds had been torn open, which would be harder to patch. “I’m sure you heard that Jetfire had a hard time convincing him to return to the base.”

No one had told him directly, but he’d pieced it together just the same. “When I was undercover, a lot of times, you came back with something to show for your efforts, or you didn’t come back at all.” There were exceptions, of course. If Megatron called for a retreat, you had better retreat. But if you returned with _less_ than what you started with, then Primus guard you…

“You think he’s expecting me to punish him for it?”

Scavenger thought for a moment. “Before, I would have said yes. Could be he still expects it. But even before he came here, he was pretty attached to those little guys.”

“I see…” Optimus had observed plenty of both in his interactions with the seeker over that last month.

He watched his leader, seeing something more than what he had given. “There’s something else you’re wanting to ask,” he started, a secretive smile passing through his features. “You don’t need my permission for that, you know. It’s not like we’re mentor and student again.”

“Of course,” Optimus shook his head. It hadn’t been a need for permission so much as that he didn’t know just how to merge into the topic. “I need your insight regarding the three Mini-Con teams, as well as whether Megatron had any plans for them.”

“You’re wanting to know if I know what he’s planning?” Scavenger looked troubled.

“I was wondering if he had mentioned anything that would indicate when he started planning,” Optimus corrected. “Or if you know anything about the three teams together.”

“Well…” Scavenger paused. “There are some legends, but nothing definite. Best case scenario, it’s just a legend, and nothing will come of his having all of them.”

“And the worst-case scenario?”

“As far as I’m concerned,” he answered gravely, “anything other than that is going to be bad news for all of us. Optimus.” He put a hand over his leader’s forearm. “Be very careful how you proceed from here on out.”

There was no response to that which seemed fully appropriate. “Of course, my old friend.” The words felt heavy even as they left his mouth.

He paused. It seemed even less appropriate to bring his other question to light, even though he knew it was necessary. “Is there any chance Starscream would know anything more about it?”

Scavenger thought for a moment. “Well…Thrust, Tidal Wave, and Wheeljack joined after I left,” he observed. “Assuming this is Thrust’s plan, it’s possible.” There was still some hesitation in his voice. Not that Optimus blamed him.

“Is there any particular way I should approach the subject?”

“At this point, your guess is as good as mine,” he answered. “Fact, I’d say it’s better.”

The seeker still wouldn’t have much to do with the former spy, not that Scavenger blamed him for it. And though he wouldn’t go into detail, he would at least respond when Optimus asked a question. Still, it really wasn’t fair to the old veteran, even though he refused to show that it bothered him. That was another thing for Optimus to work on with him, especially since it was entirely possible they would have to be assigned together at some point.

“Thanks, Scavenger,” he finally said. Then he paused. “Forgive me, but all this talk and I don’t think I’ve asked how you’re holding up.”

His old mentor laughed, almost managing to sound unforced. “’Bout as well as you’d expect, I figure,” he said. “You don’t really stick around as long as I have without learning a thing or two about dealing with these things…” He got a faraway look in his eye. “But I’ll manage,” he nodded with a weary smile. “And you, how’re you holding?”

In some ways, Optimus didn’t know how to answer that. It wasn’t as if he didn’t feel the gravity of the situation, or it didn’t affect him. But at the same time, he knew he needed to step up and be the leader the Matrix had called him to be. In some ways, it was as though it pushed him along, streamlining his thoughts and refusing to allow him to break. He hadn’t stopped to consider it before now.

“I’m managing,” he answered.

Scavenger frowned at that. “Optimus, I…can’t pretend to know the burden of the Matrix of Leadership. Even with all my years, there are things that come with your position that I can’t even begin to imagine.” He paused, reaching for his commander’s arm once more. “But I do know this. The Matrix _has_ chosen you for leadership, and there may be billions of Transformers out there—Autobot, Decepticon, or otherwise. But of all those Transformers, don’t forget to look out for the one called Optimus.”

It wasn’t as simple as that, he wanted to respond. But for Scavenger to speak so gravely, he must have believed there was considerable risk. And so he simply nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

Around a half hour later, Optimus called Starscream in. Though he tried to hide it, he could not completely conceal the tension in his gait or the near-subconscious flickering of his optics towards the locking mechanisms on the door. He’d noticed something like that several times before, an almost obsessive need to check locks on rooms and to make sure he would be able to leave. It was for that reason that Optimus had chosen not to seal off the room during this meeting, even though it risked their being overheard.

“Sir, is this related to my failure to report earlier?” It was still almost strange to see this side of him, optics trained on a point just off of Optimus Prime’s chest level, rigidly controlled language and tone. The decision to put space between them was nothing unusual, but combined with everything else…

“No,” Optimus started. “Although you _should_ have reported, especially after Thrust had stated his intent, that isn’t what I called you in to discuss.” Ideally, of course, he would have at least signaled before trying to engage, but given what he’d picked up from Hot Shot earlier that day and Jetfire more recently, he could see why he hadn’t.

The seeker nearly looked up, but stopped as if something was holding his head down. “It’s not?”

“No,” he repeated, “it’s not. There are several things I want to discuss with you, but that is not one of them.”

When Starscream didn’t respond, he continued. “First, I spoke with Scavenger not too long before this regarding the Mini-Cons which were lost. He believes there is a possibility that together, each of the weapons might become something more.” That wasn’t precisely what he had said, but if he was concerned about something coming of the three of them together, it wasn’t hard to guess what it might be.

“And you wanted a second opinion?” he guessed, managing to lift his gaze. “I wasn’t under the impression that I was any kind of expert in—”

“Not exactly.” Optimus stopped him. “At least, not regarding the weapons. I’m sure you’re aware that there was a significant amount of time between Scavenger’s losing his cover and your defection.”

That drew a grimace, a tightening of a hand. “I’m aware.”

“I had wondered if, prior to defecting, you had heard of any plans to combine the three. It would help us to determine how we should proceed.”

He scoffed. “And you think if they’d been planning something like that, they would have trusted _me_ with anything? Megatron was concerned only with accumulating power, and _Thrust_ ,” he sped up as he spoke, “Thrust depended so much on luck and omens I’m surprised he ever managed to throw _anything_ together, much less…”

Optimus held up a hand to slow him. There was no reason to let him work himself up. “Much less?”

Starscream watched his hands as he ran a quick venting protocol. “Much less what happened today.” For a moment, it seemed like he might continue, but when the moment passed and he remained silent, Optimus knew he was hitting on something he’d rather not mention.

“So am I correct in assuming,” he started, “that as far as you know, there was no plan to combine them prior to your defection, or at least none that you were aware of?”

He had gone back to staring around chest-level, slightly off to the side. “Yes, sir.”

“All right,” he nodded, lowering his hands. “And that brings us to our other topic.” In truth, he hadn’t wanted to broach this subject today, but even the brief interaction they’d had thus far proved the need for it. That wasn’t even considering anything beyond the past few minutes. “Can you tell me what happened between the alert and the moment Jetfire brought you back to base?”

“Prime?” There was a near-panicked edge just below the surface, something he was expecting or trying to piece together. “I thought—”

“Don’t be alarmed. This isn’t a reprimand. Just start at the beginning.”

He paused, a million sparks of ideas running through his expression before he schooled it. “Thrust wanted an answer. I gave it to him. He…was not pleased…with my response.” His tone made it clear that was an understatement at least. “I lost Sonar, Runway, and Jetstorm…and gave chase in an attempt to get them back.”

Optimus listened, noticing the minute stiffening and the tightness of his voice as he’d responded and weighing the options for his own reply. “I see. While I am not going to press you for details you aren’t comfortable sharing, there are some things I’d like to begin working with you on. The fact is, you were badly shaken when Jetfire found you, and I can recall at least one prior instance of your being in a similar state.”

“I’ll…try to control such weakness in the future,” the seeker ground out.

Of course, he even with the statement that it wasn’t a reprimand, he would still assume it was an assessment of his own performance. “I was actually hoping that Red Alert and I might be able to help you develop better methods of dealing with those moments, rather than simply suppressing it.” It wasn’t entirely false. Red Alert _had_ suggested it as a possibility following the mission to Mars and several reactions he had observed prior to his surgery. He had only put off bringing it up because he had hoped Starscream might come to see the need on his own—an assumption they were now paying dearly for. That, and a part of him still reacted as they had in the beginning. Some small part of him still expected Starscream to shut down and storm off at the slightest hint of it.

When he didn’t respond, Optimus continued. “You don’t have to answer right away. However, there is one thing I would like to understand. Both times, when you engaged Thrust, you did so without informing anyone else, even when it could have been dangerous to you. I’d like to understand what prevented you from telling anyone.”

 He stared, trying to puzzle something out. For a moment, Optimus thought he might actually answer. But then he looked away, expression steeling up.

Perhaps he thought it wasn’t a good reason. He had implied as much before with similar situations, and if he had already rationalized earlier as “weakness,” then…

“Were you expecting that you wouldn’t be believed?” There was a jolt at that, a shift as if he was about to snap back, but came up blank.

Perhaps he should take that as a yes. He could guess well enough what his reasoning might be.

“Decepticon or otherwise, you didn’t mislead us when you gave the coordinates for the lunar base,” Optimus started again. “Your model number for the signal scrambler was accurate. You’ve also injured yourself multiple times over for the sake of the Mini-Cons,” he reminded him. “I would think you had built up a little credibility around here.” Altercations with the others and persistent need for revenge notwithstanding.

Starscream mumbled something in response. The Autobot leader wasn’t able to tune his audio receptors fast enough to make it out, but the last part contained a word that sounded suspiciously like “programming.”

Ah. Of course he would remember the ultimatum given on the battlefield that day. It had been so early into his defection, they had only just been learning how to work together. While there _were_ programming differences between the two factions, it wasn’t as though it didn’t exist within factions as well, and it wasn’t as though every Autobot had been sparked knowing what was right and how to follow it. Surely he couldn’t believe that nothing had changed since then.

“To be fair,” Optimus allowed some levity into his voice, “I’ve learned a lot since then. If it was as simple as that, you’d expect a lot more Decepticons to turn and become Autobots, wouldn’t you?” And yet the seeker had continued to use the Decepticon label even though at this point, there was very little question as to his returning to Megatron.

Even then, he started to correct him almost instinctively. “I’m not an—” Then he stopped, shaking his head. “I don’t want to do this now. You’ve been generous enough in assigning me a favorable motive, but the fact remains that you had already decided why I’d done it. If there’s nothing else, I want to be alone now.” He started to move towards the door.

“Was I wrong?” Optimus asked. “You _are_ allowed to correct me, if so.” He couldn’t prevent misunderstandings from happening, but he could work to clear them up when they did.

He stopped, servo hovering over the door panel. He didn’t answer, only shaking his head once.

“All right, then. Go and rest up. I’ll be with the others as we try to plan our next step. If you think of anything you believe would be useful, then come find us. In the meantime…” He knew this was still pushing things a bit. “Please consider what I had said before about meeting with Red Alert. I think it would prove beneficial in the long term, but you can answer whenever you are ready.”

The seeker nodded once, such a slight motion Optimus almost believed he had imagined it, and then he was gone.

* * *

 

Sideswipe had been in communications almost since Jetfire had convinced him to leave Hot Shot to his target practice. He didn’t _like_ leaving him alone, and he’d pointed out that if he just kept shooting at nothing, he probably wasn’t paying attention anymore and was just too worked up to notice. It wasn’t good to leave him alone in that kind of state, Sideswipe knew that much. But Jetfire had insisted he just needed to get it out of his system.

Soon after, Sideswipe had been ushered into communications where Red Alert and Hoist were just finishing up with something. “Kid needs something to occupy himself,” Jetfire had said.

The medic had given him a file. A glance told him it contained schematics for the lunar base, constructed from intel gained in previous missions, no doubt. “See if you can find where they might keep three Mini-Con weapons, and what might be an ideal route to retrieve them.”

It wasn’t as though Red Alert wouldn’t have been capable in time, but with hacking as Sideswipe’s specialty and Jetfire insisting on giving him something, it made more sense to let him have the assignment. Even as he chirped out a determined, “Sure thing!” he could hear Hoist protesting his use of the word “weapons” to describe them.

“I keep tellin’ you! Downshift, Mirage, and Dirt Boss aren’t just a weapon!”

“Sorry, it was slip in my wording,” Red Alert placated him as he led him out of the room. Sideswipe stared after them, wondering what exactly they planned to do. After all, before he’d enlisted, back when he was Smokescreen, Hoist had been a simple construction worker.

Hm, Sideswipe thought. Maybe they were going to work on the spaceship. It made sense: if they wanted to get the Mini-Cons back, they’d need something to give them some protection against the Requiem Blaster, especially now that…

He shook his head, continuing to punch in command protocols. If he could get everything squared away, maybe he could hack into a computer onboard the lunar base, order it to send them some more detailed visuals.

Suddenly, there was a _whoosh_ as the door slid open. “I’m telling you, Optimus! We’ve got to go after the Decepticons before they come after us!”

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

“And I’ve told you, Hot Shot, we can’t rush in blindly.”

“But they’ve got the sword, the shield, _and_ the gun!”

“And that’s exactly why we can’t just rush in. If we attempted to use the main warp gate, what would stop the Decepticons from simply waiting in ambush with the Requiem Blaster? We’ve got to have a plan before we go in for either rescue or attack.”

They sounded like they’d been at this for awhile, Sideswipe observed.

“With all respect, sir.” It was Jetfire’s voice this time. “The Decepticons have just scored a major victory. They might have expected desperation before, but by now, that window’s basically closed up. Megatron and _especially_ Thrust will be gloating over the spoils at this point.”

“If that’s the case,” Optimus countered, “isn’t it entirely possible he would have the Requiem Blaster within reach? I’m not willing to sacrifice any of my men on speculation. Even assuming he doesn’t have it on-hand, is anyone in any state to storm the base right now?”

Jetfire fell silent. Sideswipe couldn’t help feeling a little bad for him. He had a point, but then so did Optimus. Honestly, aside from Red Alert, _he_ was the only one who’d been relatively untouched by the whole thing, and that was only by the loosest definition.

An unpleasant beep jolted Sideswipe loose from his train of thought. “Um, actually…” he spoke up. “It wouldn’t be possible to attack their base even if…” He turned to their group. “Because the warp gate is completely sealed off.”

Jetfire was suddenly leaning over him, pressing him against the keyboard as he gawked at his readings. “ _Slag!_ He must have guessed we’d try something…”

“Um…well, I could try to find a way around it, see if I could hack in and order the base to open the warp gate…” Sideswipe squirmed, not enough to dislodge the shuttle, but enough that he noticed and stepped back with a murmured apology.

“What about the _Axalon_?” Hot Shot started in again. “Maybe they’d expect the warp gate, but they don’t even know about—”

“Hot Shot.” Optimus Prime’s voice was stern.

Jetfire shook his head. “That won’t work. Just saw Hoist and Red Alert on it. There’s a lot of stuff left that needs to get done.” It was going about as fast as could be expected, and they were completing everything they set out to do each day, but a ship could only come together so fast.

“Well then why are we standing around instead of working on it?” he nearly shrieked, darting towards the door. “C’mon, Sideswipe! Let’s get to work!”

“But what about—?” the younger ‘bot started to call after him. He was already long gone before he could finish the question. Wasn’t he supposed to be working on hacking? And now Hot Shot wanted him to work on the ship? He sighed.

Jetfire sighed too, echoing Sideswipe’s frustration. “Could you put me out near the lunar base? Let me do a quick sweep of the area? I’m not sure how much it would help things, but… Slag, I don’t know.”

“Honestly, Jetfire, I wish I had an answer for you.” Optimus sounded more exhausted than Sideswipe could ever remember hearing him. “Please, for the time being, let’s just do what we can here. The loss is still weighing heavily on everyone, and I don’t want to proceed while our judgment may still be clouded. Let’s regroup, and weigh what options we have from there.”

He and Jetfire had started to walk away as well. The Autobot second was still skeptical about waiting, but even from where Sideswipe was standing, it didn’t look like they had a lot of other options. Well, if that was what Optimus wanted them to do, he’d make sure he had something to contribute when the time came.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one actually came out significantly longer than I had intended, with several scenes going in completely different directions than I had anticipated, and parts of the original episode, "Threaten," merging themselves in where I hadn't intended them to be. Writing from Sideswipe's perspective at all was one of those things
> 
> I'm rather rapidly learning that writing contains a very significant percentage of characters hijacking your plotline and going joyriding with it, and another significant percentage of the writer frantically trying to shove that joyride into some semblance of an organized story.
> 
> In any event, please let me know what you think!  
> ~Rin


End file.
